Summary

As a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) research aerospace engineer in the Hypersonic Airbreathing Propulsion Branch at NASA Langley Research Center, you will be working to apply computational methods and tools to numerically simulate the flow in high-speed propulsive flowpaths and around hypersonic vehicles. You will also be part of the branch's VULCAN-CFD software development team working to enhance existing capabilities, as well as incorporating new capabilities into the software.

Duties

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• Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
• Applies CFD and numerical tools in a parallel processing environment to simulate and analyze the performance and operability of high-speed air-breathing propulsive components.
• Estimates numerical uncertainties and applies optimization methods to improve performance.
• Conducts research to understand the fundamental physics associated with air-breathing propulsive components, flowpaths and ground test facilities and uses CFD to design and evaluate new components, flowpaths and test facility hardware.
• Uses programming skills to add new models and new capabilities into CFD and utility codes. These codes are used in a parallel processing environment and use modern CPU and GPU computing hardware.
• Develops new algorithms, methods, and solution approaches to reduce the time it takes CFD practitioner to go from an initial concept to a final solution.
• Implements, verifies and validates CFD software utilizing unit testing, benchmark cases, analytical solutions, and / or method of manufactured solutions to ensure accurate simulation results.
• Utilizes industry standard software tools (development environments, build systems, continuous integration, version control, and performance profiling) to aid in the development of CFD simulation tools for High-Performance Computing environments.
• Prepares technical reports, research papers, and presentations to communicate simulation results in a clear and concise manner.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary/trial period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

NASA utilizes OPM-approved qualification and rating requirements specific for Aerospace Technology (AST) positions which recognizes NASA's unique aerospace work. The specific qualifications and minimum education requirements are further described below and within the education section of the job announcement.

Vacant research positions may be filled at one of several grade levels depending upon the scientific impact of the person selected. A review may be required to determine the appropriate grade level of the position and supplemental materials may be required from the selectee. Please keep this in mind when indicating the lowest grade you will accept. If selected at the lower grade level, your scientific impact will be examined in addition to other factors, to determine if you are eligible for promotion.

To qualify for GS-11, you must have:

a) One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:

• Generating high quality Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solutions and post processing the data while following best practices for ensuing solution accuracy;
• Examining the computed flow field to verify that the solution makes physical sense and that there is nothing that indicates a problem with the solution;
• Developing and/or modifying software to use in pre- and/or post-processing grids and/or CFD solutions. Post processing CFD solutions to extract and/or compute properties and/or metrics of interest

OR

b) Completed all requirements for a master's or equivalent graduate degree in an appropriate field

OR

c) Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a) and b) above

OR

d) Expect to complete the education degree requirements for this grade level by January 10, 2027.

To qualify for GS-12, you must have:

a) One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level:

• Generating high quality Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solutions for high-speed flows with complex geometries, post processing the data, identifying and correcting problems or issues, and following best practices to ensure solution accuracy;
• Developing and/or modifying software to use in pre- and/or post-processing grids and/or CFD solutions, for computing flow conditions, and/or to improve workflow. Post processing solutions to extract and/or compute properties and/or metrics of interest;
• Developing and/or modifying CFD software using a compiled language (e.g. Fortran, C, and/or C++) for parallel processing

OR

b) Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field.

OR

c) Expect to complete the education degree requirement for this grade level by January 10, 2027.

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

• Applying Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods to numerically simulate flowfields, quantifying uncertainties, and optimizing aspects of a design;
• Discretizing the equations governing fluid flow (e.g. Euler, Navier-Stokes) and applying different solution approaches in a CFD code to solve the equations;
• Developing CFD software in Fortran, C, or C++ and using Message Passing Interface (MPI) software to run on GPU or CPU based compute clusters. Applying industry-standard software-development tools (e.g. git, cmake) and practices when developing software (e.g. unit testing).

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Required college majors for applicants qualifying on the basis of undergraduate or graduate education only (GS-11 and GS-12 only):

Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Astronautics, Chemistry, Applied Mechanics, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics.

Other majors will qualify if the major includes or is supplemented as follows: Electronics Engineering, Applied Mathematics (or other field), if the major includes or is supplemented by one course in thermodynamics, nuclear physics, rocket propulsion fundamentals, gas dynamics or modem or molecular physics; Astronautical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pure Mathematics (or other related field), if includes or is supplemented by nine semester hours (or the equivalent) in physics, thermodynamics, chemistry or closely related fields.

Education

Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree or expect to complete the basic education requirement for this position by January 10, 2027 with a major in one of the following:

a) Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs

b) Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science

c) Computer Science that included 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of course work in any combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science with at least half of those hours in mathematics and statistics courses that included differential and integral calculus; and that provided an in-depth knowledge of theoretical and practical applications of computer science, including digital computer system architecture and system software organization, the representation and transformation of information structures, and the theoretical models for such representations and transformations.

If you did not complete a qualifying bachelor's degree, you may be eligible if you have obtained a graduate degree in an AST qualifying field, as listed above.

Degrees in engineering technology are not considered qualifying for this position.

Engineering degrees earned within the United States: Engineering degrees earned within the United States must be from a college or university that has at least one ABET accredited engineering program. To find out if a school has at least one ABET accredited program, please visit http://www.abet.org.

Engineering degrees earned outside the United States: Engineering degrees earned outside the United States must be recognized by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), often known as accords. These are non-governmental agreements among organizations that accredit academic degree programs. MRAs recognize the substantial equivalence of mature accreditation systems and programs accredited by signatory organizations within their jurisdictions. For a listing of Signatories, please visit, https://www.abet.org/global-presence/mutual-recognition-agreements/is-your-program-recognized/.

Science and other related degreesearned within the United States: Science and other related degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

Science and other related degrees earned outside the United States: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:

• Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
• Meet the minimum qualifications requirements for the position
• Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap

Any applicant that received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) from the federal governmentwithin the last five years based of the closing date of this announcement, if selected, may be required to repay the full amount prior to establishing a start date. For additional information on the VSIP repayment requirement, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/.

Per Executive Order 14343, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.

Probationary Period

You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;

• the needs and interests of the agency;

• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and

• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate abou